are there any adults out there with hsp?

Question

my son had henoch-schenein purpura when he was 2. what are the odds of it coming back as an adult?

Answer 1

Henoch- Schonlein Purpura is caused by a "vasculitis"- that is inflammation of the blood vessels occur and 'bleeding' is seen underneath the skin as the red/purplish spots or "purpuru". Bleeding and inflammation can occur in other part of the body- most notibly the intestines (manifested by abdominal pain and sometime blood in the stool), the joints and in the kidney (manifested by blood and sometimes protein in the urine and high blood pressure). This inflammation is thought to be caused by the antibody IGA which has been linked to one of the causes of chronic kidney disease.

If your child had a mild case of HSP (short lasting purpura), it is unlikely that it will reoccur (adults have been known to get HSP rarely). However if your child had a severe case involving the kidneys (manifested by blood and protein in the urine) it is possible that it could become a chronic condition.

In addition there have bee a few reported cases (one of the hospitals in which I worked at) had a cases of IGA kidney disease following a case of HSP in the same child a few years later.

So to answer your question-- if your child had a mild case-- it is unlikely to reoccur. if it was a more difficult case-- that may have caused kidney damage-- it could lead to chronic inflammation.

In any case - you should have close follow-up with your pediiatrician and if you / him have any concerns-- I would contact a pediatric Kidney Specialist at a major teaching hospital.

i hope this answer was helpful. If you have any further questions I can be IMed at [e-mail].

Good luck

Answer 2

I had that when I was in 2nd grade back in 1986. Wow...that's unusual to hear that someone else has it. I've always heard that it's really rare. My sister also had it in childhood. I think it's more a childhood thing. I don't think you have to worry too much about it coming back. I was like 7 when I got it and I'm 27 now and have never had any recurrence.

Answer 3

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